Getting 2nd Psych eval again

[Kimmysil 0]

Few weeks ago I went to my bariatric eval for surgery and the psych hardly asked me any questions relating to wls at all. She focused more on my childhood, etc, by the time I got to my car I was in tears because of course bringing up my childhood memories made me cry, parents broke up when i was 5, visitation, etc. I do and have been suffering from panic attacks from 2008, I do work, I take care of my house, my kids, etc. I live every day, I dont stay in bed, rest, curl up in a ball, etc.

Well she sent a message to the office that I am not mentally stable for surgery. That pissed me off completely because I was the one who said the reason I want the surgery is this and that and this, etc. Never once did she ask me any question about WLS or why, who, etc.

Now I have to go for another evaluation. I'm afraid to list down that i take medication for anxiety/depression because I'm afraid I will get turned down again. When I told my therapist this she got angry because she was so shocked at someone who met me for 30 minutes can say I'm not stable for surgery.

What do you all think? Should I tell it to the new Dr? Should I not mention it at all? My husband thinks I shouldn't mention it at all. Please help soooo confused :thumbup1:

[MlkPas 5]

Yes, tell the truth about your meds and stress that they are working nicely, TYVM.

One question: If you are seeing a therapist already, can your therapist provide the eval for surgery? That's what I was able to do. After all, your treating therapist knows you a lot better than some stranger off the street!!

[YOLANDA240 13]

Few weeks ago I went to my bariatric eval for surgery and the psych hardly asked me any questions relating to wls at all. She focused more on my childhood, etc, by the time I got to my car I was in tears because of course bringing up my childhood memories made me cry, parents broke up when i was 5, visitation, etc. I do and have been suffering from panic attacks from 2008, I do work, I take care of my house, my kids, etc. I live every day, I dont stay in bed, rest, curl up in a ball, etc.

Well she sent a message to the office that I am not mentally stable for surgery. That pissed me off completely because I was the one who said the reason I want the surgery is this and that and this, etc. Never once did she ask me any question about WLS or why, who, etc.

Now I have to go for another evaluation. I'm afraid to list down that i take medication for anxiety/depression because I'm afraid I will get turned down again. When I told my therapist this she got angry because she was so shocked at someone who met me for 30 minutes can say I'm not stable for surgery.

What do you all think? Should I tell it to the new Dr? Should I not mention it at all? My husband thinks I shouldn't mention it at all. Please help soooo confused :thumbup1:

You can have your regular therpist write a letter on your behalf then give this to the surgeon's theripist, you have to disclose your meds. I live with depression and told the surgeon's therpist what meds I was taking. Also, I gave her a letter from my regular therpist along with the results from my one hour pysch. test I was only in her office for 15 mins. She reported that I was mentally stable for surgery.

I hope this helps with your next visit :thumbup1:

[Estrellita 6]

I've never suffered from anxiety before, and boy is it hitting me hard now. I'm 20 days post-surgery. No physical complications (thank God), but many emotional ones. If you suffer from depression and anxiety now, please prepare for a possibility of emotional challenges post surgery. Tell the therapist about your meds, but demand higher quality and a thorough evaluation.

[Kimmysil 0]

I go to a Psych and a Psychologist so I dont know if they would accept a Psychologist, my own Psych wanted to charge me 350.00 to do my own evaluation and she's another one who only sees me for 15 minutes at a time. My therapist is the one who sees me and knows me better than the both of them. I did send an email to the Dr's assistant about a letter from my therapist...I'll let you know what it says. I also asked her to ask the Dr what's the connection if u have anxiety and what does that have to do with wls? Maybe there are some underlying factors that I do not know about. Thanks everyone, I appreciate your help.

[MINI-Me 196]

I had to see a psych for the first time when I was prepping for this surgery. She told me that 75% of WLS patients have depression/anxiety disorder that are either being actively treated or should be. So, it sounds like you are right in the middle of the stats & it should not be an issue.

I was also warned that I might experience anxiety or depression as a result of the surgery. When I asked why - she said that many people have hidden behind their fat for years & when the weight comes off, they do not know how to cope or deal with the emotions. That is why they want to see us prior surgery so they can either (1) Determine if we are mentally ready for such a big change or (2) Prepare a plan if we do start having issues.

I think the idea of your therapist writing a letter is a great idea. Good luck! If all else fails, it may be worth a $350.00 investment to pay your current Pysch. Insurance might even cover it.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

No concrete advice, but man, if having divorced parents and anxiety is enough to deem you mentally unstable, I should be committed. With half the couples divorcing these days, you'd think they'd finally realize that growing up in a separated family is basically the norm today. It's almost like if you don't walk around hopped up on benzos, you are some sort of deviant. EVERYBODY has some mental issues and feeling sad about bad experiences is not a medical problem. Obviously, your day-to-day functioning is not affected. Your therapist sounds like a tool.

[Roseib 13]

I suffer from depression and anxiety and decided to just go in and be upbeat and confident (which is how I truly felt). I said my antidepressant and anxiety medications worked and as long as I took them I was fine.

I think what most psychologists worry about is untreated depression. Sorry you had such a bad experience.